


don't try to save us (we're doing it right)

by beanpod



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: High School Reunions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 10:36:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17979707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beanpod/pseuds/beanpod
Summary: Kihyun had said, as they paid for their meals and got up to leave, "It's not like any of those people really knew you back then, is it; you have nothing to prove to them," and then, as they got into his car, smirking over the roof, "Besides, think of the open bar," and this, Hyunwoo tells himself as he sips on a vodka tonic, is the only reason he's here, sitting at the rooftop bar of the Marriott Hotel on a Friday night for his ten year high school reunion.





	don't try to save us (we're doing it right)

**Author's Note:**

> TEN YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS ARE STRESSING. listen, i started this last year during a dark time(tm) but i'm in a better place now so decided to sort of get back to it and finish it. halfway through i realized it was just as dark at times so i tried to make it lighter and by the end i just sighed 'fuck it' because we all deserve happy endings, damn it. 
> 
> title's a line from fletcher's _wasted youth_ , give it a listen if you'd like. 
> 
> see end notes for a list of things you might find here.

Kihyun had said, as they paid for their meals and got up to leave, "It's not like any of those people _really_ knew you back then, is it; you have nothing to prove to them," and then, as they got into his car, smirking over the roof, "Besides, think of the open bar," and this, Hyunwoo tells himself as he sips on a vodka tonic, is the only reason he's here, sitting at the rooftop bar of the Marriott Hotel on a Friday night for his ten year high school reunion.

He spots half the Chess Club first. Hyunwoo was never really close to them, not in the year he was a part of it, so he can't really say he wants to go over and say hi. (Besides, they were always a little snotty.) He still should, though, be polite and shit. His mom would want him to. He remembers she was fond of Soyeon, back when everyone—himself included—thought Hyunwoo was into girls.

Good times, those were. A lot simpler.

"Hi, hello," he says as he approaches their tiny circle of people, waving a little. His glass sweats in his other hand; Hyunwoo chooses to believe that's the reason of the wetness in his palm, not that he's nervous about this at all.

Hyunseung smiles at him with a tiny frown creasing his forehead. "Oh, Hyunwoo, right? Haven't seen you in a while, man, how are you," and then it's a bout of awkward re-introductions, like Hyunwoo doesn't know who they are and is suddenly dying to know what they're all about now, like they aren't all friends on fucking Facebook.

So this is what Hyunwoo "learns":

Hyunseung's married, has a kid, runs his own business, something to do with marketing. Jihae is engaged, works at his fiancé's father's company as a law consultant. Jimin and Baekho have been high-school sweethearts and now are ready to take the next step, which is move to Taiwan and get properly married and settled there as Jimin takes a publicity job for a local bank. Soyeon is heavily pregnant, used to work in finance but has decided to take a sabbatical and "try this mom-thing out." Hyunwoo doesn't miss the lack of ring on her finger but he knows better than to point it out; it's none of his business.

They're all sort of settled, he notices.

"How about you," Soyeon asks, a genuine smile on her face. It tugs at his heart a little, because they were really good friends back then, before they all sort of grew up and strayed far.

Hyunwoo shrugs a shoulder. "I'm currently working as an assistant editor," he says, scratching at the back of his neck, "it involves a lot of reading, I gotta admit."

"Well, you always liked that sort of thing, didn't you," Jimin asks.

Hyunwoo smiles, shortly, "Yeah, it's fun," which is a stretch, by far, but like Kihyun said, Hyunwoo doesn't have to prove himself to anyone here. "And it pays the bills."

"That's always important," Hyunseung points out, and the circle laughs, drop the subject and move onto more interesting stuff that Hyunwoo doesn't really catch or has anything to offer to but finds himself nodding along to in all the right places.

This is why high school reunions suck, Hyunwoo wants to tell Kihyun. Everyone's desperate to show off what they've done and what they've accomplished, barely waiting for their own turn to speak, and here Hyunwoo stands, not really having done anything for himself other than getting a degree that has proved useless so far and finally managing to move out of his parents' after finding the cheapest hole in the wall apartment he could afford on his miserable salary.

Maybe Hyunwoo is being dramatic here but nothing's working out the way he thought it would back in high school. Absolutely nothing. And he's not sure he wants to be standing next to people who seemingly have it all figured out and under control.

"I'm gonna get another drink," he says in the middle of Hyunseung and a tale of his latest trip to Paris that Hyunwoo has an inkling he's told before because Jihae rolls his eyes every five seconds.

Everyone smiles at him kind of vaguely, like, _whoa, you were still there, Hyunwoo?_ and Hyunwoo smiles back (in his _fuck you_ way, which Kihyun is very fond of) and retreats back to the bar, ice cubes clinking around in his empty glass.

The bar itself is not so crowded. Hyunwoo finds a stool and perches himself there until the bartender gets to him, orders another vodka tonic and plays with the little mat in front of him as he waits.

It's pretty close to eleven already, maybe he can slip out after a few extra drinks, just to tell Kihyun he came and had a bit of fun. He can't just walk away on free booze, that's not a thing one _does_.

An elbow knocks against his, the empty stool at his side scraping on the wooden floor. "Son Hyunwoo. Fancy seeing you here."

Hyunwoo turns to find a guy, a man in bulk similar to his, dressed in a sharp suit jacket and a smile just as sharp directed at him. His smile is _so bright_ Hyunwoo is momentarily blinded, shocked into silence.

Holy fucking shit.

"Holy shit," Hyunwoo breathes, and then, "Hoseok? Holy shit."

The guy—no, _Hoseok_ grins, eyes bright. "Hey, Hyunwoo, how's it been," he says, biting at the corner of his mouth as he waves a hand to the bartender.

The smile is pretty automatic on his part, Hyunwoo admits.

Back then Hoseok had been a whole power house, funny and endearing and Hyunwoo had been a little bit in love with him, admittedly, much like the rest of the class—heck, the entire school, probably. Besides the couple classes (Biology and Chemistry) and clubs (Drama and Photography) they'd had in common during senior year, they'd never really moved in the same circles. They'd work at the library on their assignments and sometimes kick the ball around in PE along with Minhyuk, but they'd never really hung out. The last time they saw each other was probably graduation day.  

Hoseok looks different now, in that way people who get a lot more comfortable in their skin do. (Hyunwoo can't say he relates; it does bring the question to the front of his mind, though, if he looks different now, if people can tell.) He wears his smile as sharp as ever, but it also looks a lot more settled. A little weary around the edges. Hyunwoo wonders if it's because of how late it is or if it's something else. (What surprises him most is how much he'd like to find out.)

He still looks beautiful as all hell—he has the same smile he had when their station caught fire that one time in the Chemistry lab. Hyunwoo feels breath catching at the back of his throat, sort of.

"I'm," Hyunwoo starts, flushing a little, scratching at the back of his thumb, "yeah, fine. How've you been?"

The bartender delivers their drinks—another vodka tonic for him and a bottle of Budweiser for Hoseok—and Hoseok takes a sip of his beer before saying, his smile never faltering, "I've been alright. Nothing much, really. I'm unemployed at the moment, actually. Got sacked last week."

The frankness in Hoseok's face is like having a cold, heartening sip of vodka.

Hyunwoo figures he owes Hoseok the same level of honesty. "Well, fuck, what do I even say to that. 'Good' sounds shitty. 'I'm sorry' is the last thing you need. Cheers, I guess." He lifts his glass in a toast and Hoseok's laughter is belly-deep, makes his teeth look sharp(er).

"That's a good answer," he says, and knocks the neck of his bottle to the rim of Hyunwoo's glass. "How's it been? Fuck, when was the last time we saw each other, even."

"Uh, graduation, probably?" Hyunwoo's mouth twists into a smile. "You went west, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Hoseok nods, "and you went south. How was college? What'd you take?"

"Literature," Hyunwoo says.

"That sounds cool. I still remember the paper you wrote on Neruda." Hoseok has the gall to clutch at his chest dramatically. "You wiped the floor with the rest of us."

It makes Hyunwoo laugh, shaking his head and flushing a little. "Oh, god, my mother wanted to frame that essay."

"I don't blame her, really, it was a masterpiece. I think you made professor Kang weep." Hoseok grins, nudging their elbows together. He doesn't pull away.

Hyunwoo swallows, thumb tapping on the side of his glass. "What about you? College, I mean, what'd you end up majoring in?"

"I switched majors, actually," Hoseok says, shrugging a shoulder. "Started off in Business and then moved to Music Production." He sighs deeply. "Most days I think I made the wrong call, you know. But it's whatever, I guess. It's paid the bills so far."

Hyunwoo nods, can't quite come up with something to say. Hoseok takes a look at his face and smiles a little, shaking his head, and then says, "So, Hyunwoo. Blown any chem labs lately?"

Hyunwoo scoffs and laughs heartily, takes the change in topic for what it is. "You say that like it was my idea, what the hell."

"Well, wasn't your idea to add that last ingredient that made everything go 'boom'? What was it, baking soda? Citric acid?"

"I don't remember. It was written on the board, I was just following instructions," Hyunwoo sniffs.

Hoseok lets out a peal of laughter and nudges their elbows together again. "We had fun, though, didn't we?"

"We did, yeah," Hyunwoo agrees. "I mean, we burned down school property, but it was fun."

It's like Hoseok's laughter starts in the depths of his chest. "It was, wasn’t it," he grins.

The air around them changes, suddenly, Hyunwoo feels it thicken between them. Hoseok's got a coy look on his face, his thumb and index finger are curled around the neck of his beer bottle in a loose circle; he moves his hand from the lip of his bottle and down the neck of it, once, slowly, teasingly, and then back up, the circle tightening slightly, and his gaze turns dark and _holy shit, did he just—_

"Wanna keep having fun with me, then?" Hoseok asks, and his knee touches Hyunwoo's thigh under the bar.

Hyunwoo's brain short-circuits, every thought skidding to a halt. His fingers tighten around his slippery glass with a tiny squeak and, on its own volition, his thigh presses back into Hoseok's. His body is a treacherous fuck and Hyunwoo is _lost_. Hoseok's smile is still blinding, the corners of his eyes are tight with anticipation and Hyunwoo's gut tugs, sharp, with a type of want he hasn't felt in a while. Hoseok stares him down, bold, his thumb stroking the lip of his bottle in tight little circles, and Hyunwoo's only human here, can't help the interested twitch his cock gives in his dress pants.

Still, though. What the fuck.

"Bit forward, are you," he asks, more to save face than to learn Hoseok's intentions; Hyunwoo might be tipsy but he isn't stupid. "Won't even get me a drink first? The audacity."

Hoseok laughs, nearly snorts for a second there. "I just happen to know what I like," he says, shrugging, like it makes sense. Probably does, who knows. "And I happen to like what I see." Hyunwoo's about to open his mouth when Hoseok adds, "Honestly? I had a crush on you back in school."

Hyunwoo pulls back a little so he can look at Hoseok and declare, "No fucking way."

Hoseok takes a pull from his beer, his neck a long, pale line and Hyunwoo can't look away. He puts his drink down and smiles at Hyunwoo, "You were cute, in that 'take me under the bleachers and ruin me' kinda way. The glasses were a nice bonus, too."

Hyunwoo doesn't choke but it's close. The thought of Hoseok taking him under the bleachers is just a lot to handle. His seventeen-year-old self would come in a hair trigger, no doubt. He clears his throat, "That's so generic. Half our class had glasses."

"Don't question my good taste, Hyunwoo," Hoseok chides, reaching over to poke him in the chest. The neck of his white shirt isn't buttoned all the way up and Hyunwoo finds _collarbones_ , pretty ones. "It’s bad form."

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes, "Please." The cubes in his glass clink loudly when he swirls them around.

"Honestly," Hoseok says, after another sip from his beer. He leans in close; a slow smile, a hand on Hyunwoo's thigh, he says, "You look ready to do some ruining yourself, though."

Hyunwoo looks down at the hand on his thigh, up at Hoseok's eyes and then sideways at his drink in case someone's been spiking it without him knowing because this kind of thing certainly doesn't happen, does it?

Like, you don't go into your high school reunions expecting to hook up. _Hyunwoo_ didn't come into this expecting to hook up. Hyunwoo had literally zero expectations tonight except for the free drinks and appetizers.

"I've got a room for the night," Hoseok says, apropos of nothing, the same edge to his smile, sharp and dangerous and more trouble than Hyunwoo's honestly ready to handle, explains, "I knew I'd drink my way through this reunion and didn't wanna drive, it only made sense."

When his hand travels further up, Hyunwoo's fingers tighten around his glass and he inhales sharply. He can smell Hoseok's cologne this close up, and he smells so fucking nice, what the fuck.

Silence stretches between them in heavy, tight tendrils. Hoseok's eyes travel down to Hyunwoo's mouth and back up to his eyes at least twice, and Hyunwoo slowly loses track of the legit reasons he has to not agree to this. Because he has, like, _reasons_ , of course he does. Hyunwoo doesn't go around fucking old acquaintances (friends?), no matter how good they look, or how pretty their hair shines under warm lighting, or how interested they may seem.

Hyunwoo is acutely aware of how brutally beautiful Hoseok is. The confidence, the honesty in his face and his words are a shock to Hyunwoo's system; he's tempted, painfully so, to take Hoseok up on his offer, because, really, what does Hyunwoo have to lose here?

He hasn't hooked up in forever, not since that one night six months ago when Kihyun kissed him to shut him up and they tumbled into bed in a haze of pot and cheap rum. And before that, Hyunwoo'd spent the best part of a year still stuck on Hyungwon, feeling like absolute shit and unable to move on.

He knows, he _knows_ it's wrong to use that as an excuse but—nothing to lose, right?

"I need another drink," he says, then, very eloquently, because Hoseok is still looking at him with a dangerous glint in his eyes and Hyunwoo cannot deal with shit right now.

He's also trying _veryreally_ hard not to smile because even under all of Hoseok's boldness there's a bit of uncertainty in the left corner of his mouth and Hyunwoo doesn’t know what to do with it, even though it feels relatively familiar.

( _Preposterous_ , he thinks, because there's no way he can read Hoseok that well. There just isn't.)

"Should I get you that drink, then," Hoseok asks.

Hyunwoo exhales, wets his lips. "Alright."

Hoseok bites his lip around a blinding smile before waving down the bartender for another round.

 

Their second round of drinks becomes the third, and soon enough, Hyunwoo's flagging down the bartender (his name is Jooheon and his dimple is so deep Hoseok proposes drinking a shot from it at least twice, which Jooheon laughs at every time before rolling his eyes and walking away to attend other people) and he's got no idea how many drinks it's been but the tipsy hum at the back of his mind feels good— _nice_ , comfortable in a way it hasn't been in, like, _years_.

So many fucking years, Hyunwoo's lost track.

They spend most of their time catching up on stuff, life, college, life after college, the likes. Hoseok's funny, in that lame way Changkyun at the office sometimes is, but he's also fucking sharp and witty in his own way and it's refreshing, having a conversation with someone who isn't Kihyun or the guys at the office and actually _enjoying_ it.

He coaxes responses out of Hyunwoo with a touch to his forearm, his wrist, an elbow to the side, a smile thrown between bitten lips and Hyunwoo is honestly shocked at how easy it turns out to be: he matches Hoseok jab for jab until Hoseok's blushing behind his bottle, smile and eyes sparkling with glee.

Hyunwoo'd forgotten, what flirting feels like.

Hoseok bites his lips so much (and they're _so_ pink, too, and what's that they say about guys and the color of their lips matching the tip of their dicks? Is that a thing, Hyunwoo wants to find out, for, like, science and shit). Hyunwoo is tempted to ask him to, for the love of everything that is holy, _stop doing that_.

Or if he, like, wants Hyunwoo to do it for him. He's game, _so_ game.

"Maybe we should, like, stick to water for a bit," Hoseok says after his third attempt at throwing the beer caps littered between them into the can behind the bar, and Hyunwoo distantly agrees even as he takes another sip of his drink. Hoseok's words are softly slurred and he looks flushed, pink spreading over his cheeks. Hyunwoo's staring, stupidly even, when Hoseok smiles sideways at him and says, "Maybe we could head down to my room."

"Sneaky," Hyunwoo shakes his head, somehow still grinning.

Hoseok shrugs a shoulder, "I had to try, man."

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes. "Actually, it sounds a lot better than having Sanghyun yelling 'GO CLASS OF 2008' into the mic every ten minutes."

Hoseok's chuckle is belly-deep, "He was always so quiet, kept to himself, remember? Don't think I ever saw him date anyone. I can't believe he's, like, married now. And I heard he runs his own shit, that's like," he pauses, shakes his head with a low whistle, "not something I would've predicted back then."

"He looks happy with his life," Hyunwoo points out.

"It has nothing to do with happiness, though, does it," Hoseok half-asks, half-snorts. "For all we know he could be miserable. People get good at pretending everything's fine even when it isn't." He taps the side of his bottle to the beat of the music and after a couple seconds, his eyes snap back to reality, closing off a little.

Hyunwoo pretends to have missed the whole thing—and isn't that fucking ironic, considering—takes a sip from his drink, the last one, and takes his time swallowing.

"I kinda brought the mood down a bit, didn't I?" Hoseok asks, rueful. "Sorry about that."

Hyunwoo shakes his head. "You don't have to apologize. It's alright. And, well," he adds, almost like an afterthought, "I kinda agree? I don't know, man. I wasn't gonna show up in the first place, you know. 'Cause, like, I haven't anything to brag about, and this is exactly the kind of situation to do precisely that, brag about all the shit you've accomplished." Hoseok snorts again at this with a nod and Hyunwoo returns the chuckle, "See, you know I'm right. So, like, I thought, why the fuck should I go if I have nothing to talk about, right, but then Kihyun said ' _you have nothing to prove to them, they don't know you_ ' and it has stuck in my head all day." He sighs, loud, his ribcage a blur of breath, "I've been caught up feeling like shit for a while, I admit. Shit happened and shit's gonna keep happening. Tonight I just don't care. That might be the free booze talking, though."

It's the most honest he's been in— shit, in _years_ ; he's not even sure he's ever been this real with Kihyun, which says a lot.

Hyunwoo swallows past a dry throat, clenching his teeth because _what the fuck_ , he feels stupid now, he shouldn't have drunk this much. _Get it together, Son Hyunwoo, you're so much better than this even when you pretend you're not_ , he tells himself sternly.

Hoseok watches him carefully, his fingers stilling. It's like he's assessing Hyunwoo under a new light, like he's sobering up a little, the haze in his eyes lifting, and Hyunwoo wonders what he's seeing right now, in him, in this whole thing between them that isn't really _a thing_ yet except for flirty comments and flirty smiles and flirty touches that apparently go back ten years.

He clears his throat and Hoseok says lightly, eyes gone soft, like he _knows_ , "Yeah, sounds about right."

And then, with a slow smile, "You know, that's a lot of words, Hyunwoo. I don't think you've said as much all night as you did just now. And you went so deeply philosophical, too, wow. Truly impressed. Consider me charmed."

It makes Hyunwoo laugh, his belly warm and fluttery with vodka. "I told you," he says when they've both stopped giggling like idiots, "it's the free drinks. It gets the best of us."

They're sitting closer and Hyunwoo cannot believe this, this whole night feels so surreal he's honestly worried about his mental health, what if he's making it all up?

"Maybe we do need to stick to water after all," Hoseok sighs.

Hyunwoo nods after a second. "Jooheon will probably give you some if you ask nicely."

Hoseok's lips quirk a little, and he drops his cheek on his open palm, gives Hyunwoo an honestly indecent look through lashes larger than life. "How about you, though," he asks, slow, "will you give it to me if I ask nicely?"

Hyunwoo explodes in loud laughter even though his stomach clenches with something dangerously close to excitement. Hoseok laughs right along and it's honestly so fucking surreal how they've gone from seriousness to this— _this_ : Hyunwoo's shoulders shaking so much with laughter he's afraid he might pass out, Hoseok clutching at the edge of the bar for support as he laughs, tears in the corners of his eyes.

Hoseok's—he's just so damn beautiful when he laughs, and Hyunwoo's got half a mind that if anything's going to get him to pass out tonight it might be that smile, all teeth and pink lips and bright eyes and flushed cheeks, directed at him.

One corner of Hoseok's mouth is still up into the hint of a smile, but it's just that. "You know," he says, slow, rather testy, when they're done laughing, "you've mentioned that Kihyun guy a lot tonight. You guys together?"

It feels like Hyunwoo's brain takes forever to catch up. "No," he says with half a laugh, shaking his head when Hoseok looks up from the tag on his bottle, "no, he's—he's my best friend." At Hoseok's raised eyebrow, Hyunwoo finds himself saying, "We hooked up once. Like, six months ago. We were high, and drunk, and pretty lonely, I think, and it just—I guess it felt convenient."

Hoseok's eyebrow returns to its rightful place, and he looks soft again all of a sudden, like somehow, he understands this, too. "So you two aren't—"

"God, no," Hyunwoo huffs a laugh. "He's in a seriously committed relationship with himself at the moment. He considers going out for lunch with me as 'cheating'."

Hoseok nods and his smile returns and Hyunwoo, not for the first time tonight, he realizes, wants to kiss him senseless and feels breathless with the thought.

"Come on," Hoseok says after a while, hopping down from his stool with the grace of a newborn baby elephant, "there's water in my room. We need water. Lots of it." He looks at Hyunwoo with the barest hint of hopefulness and it makes air catch at the back of Hyunwoo's throat for a second, possibly for the hundredth time tonight, his palms warm as he holds onto the bar and hops off his own stool.

"Lead the way," he says.

 

Hyunwoo busies himself in their elevator ride by wondering how much a night at the Marriott would cost him—even the cheapest room they've got—and whether he'd be able to pay it on his own and if he'd have enough money left to _eat_ afterwards, when Hoseok touches the back of his hand and then twines their fingers together, so gently, so softly, before pushing Hyunwoo up against the wall to _fuck his mouth with his tongue._

It takes a couple of seconds for Hyunwoo to catch up with what's happening, with the curl of Hoseok's tongue in his mouth, fingers in Hyunwoo's hair, tight like a promise. Hyunwoo gives back as much as he can, clutches at the back of Hoseok's jacket to pull him closer, closer, until he can feel Hoseok's chest expanding with ragged breaths against his own.

It's a hard kiss, teeth and tongue and pent-up tension catching Hyunwoo like a punch in the gut, Hoseok's mouth and body the only things keeping him upright.

His fingers cupping the sides of Hyunwoo's face, Hoseok pulls away, breathing hard against Hyunwoo's mouth, his chest heaving against Hyunwoo's. "You're an outstanding kisser," he says. His lips are so red and Hyunwoo's eyes zero in on them like a life-line. "Why haven't we made out before?"

"Beats me. You're not so bad yourself," he hears himself saying. He cups the back of Hoseok's neck, fingers running through the short hair there. It's as soft as it looks. "Seven out of ten, definitely at the top five kisses in my list."

Hoseok pulls further away with a tiny offended sound. He's still close enough to kiss, though. "Seven? What the fuck? I'm at least an eight. Fuck you and your list and your standards, dude. The nerve."

Hyunwoo bites his lip to keep from smiling and shrugs. "Just telling you how it is."

"Pity," Hoseok says, pulling away, a couple steps between them now. He sounds breathless when he says, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can think of doing to change your mind."

He smiles and Hyunwoo finds himself smiling back, giddy and tipsy, overly warm under his suit. It doesn't kill the mood but it does break the tension between them into something less rushed. It doesn't feel as urgent anymore; Hyunwoo feels heat spreading down his spine in slow trickles, warm like the inside of Hoseok's mouth, smooth like the curl of his tongue. It settles the alcohol sloshing around in his stomach and his veins, and it's sobering, like the first intake of fresh, crisp cold air after holding his breath for too long under water.

The doors ping open on Hoseok's floor and he starts walking backwards into the hallway without taking his eyes off Hyunwoo's once. He looks thoroughly kissed even though it was barely a minute, perhaps even less. His lips are so red Hyunwoo's heart races, and the smile he throws at him is just so fucking full of promises that it takes him forever to peel himself off the mirrored walls to follow after him.

The lights of the hall are sobering, and Hyunwoo clears his throat as he follows the small distance from the lifts to Hoseok's room, the door still held open for him and Hoseok nowhere in sight once he's inside. It's something out of a catalogue, all high-end furniture and soft colors with fancy lighting. They're still far up enough that the city spreads under them in twinkling lights and dark hues and Hyunwoo stares through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, mesmerized.

"This is a nice room," he says after a while.

"You’re probably wondering how I can afford this," Hoseok says, walking out of the ensuite bathroom without his jacket, barefoot and in the middle of undoing the cuffs of his shirt.

Hyunwoo sits at the end of the bed, shrugging a shoulder as he leans forward, forearms on his thighs. He smiles a little, "I really couldn't care less, Hoseok."

It makes Hoseok chuckle. He sits next to Hyunwoo, a foot between them, and it's mind-bogglingly sobering, the way he looks on top of the cream-colored bedspread, his dark hair a mess and his shirt untucked but otherwise still (somewhat) buttoned, his toes wiggling on the carpet. Hyunwoo spots the dark curves of a tattoo, but can't figure out what it says from where he sits.

Hyunwoo's brain can't catch up with the sight Hoseok makes right now.

"The job paid well, back when I still had it," Hoseok explains, a wry smile on his pink mouth.

"Okay," Hyunwoo says with a nod. "Makes sense."

"Did you ever find me attractive? Back in high school, I mean," Hoseok asks, lip caught between his teeth. He's leaning back on the mattress, propped on his hands, head tilted to the side as he regards Hyunwoo, looking at him with open curiosity.

The change of topic is abrupt but not really unexpected.

Hyunwoo flops back down on the bed, folds his arms under his head. "I did, a lot, actually," he says, and wonders what the hell was he thinking coming to Hoseok's room where it's so fucking quiet and intimate he can almost taste the honesty in his own voice. At least back at the bar he had the lull of music and conversation to pretend.

(Hyunwoo quietly admits to himself he's getting tired of pretending, though.)

"Interesting," Hoseok murmurs. After a heartbeat, "And now?"

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes. "Come on," he says when Hoseok laughs, "you know how you look. You're…" he waves a hand vaguely, "all that."

"Am I the Zack to your Lanney," Hoseok grins.

Hyunwoo laughs, shaking his head. "What's sadder, understanding the reference or using it?"

"Touché," Hoseok admits. "Really, though, out of the both us, who's got the most impressive glow-up? Definitely you. I mean," the look he gives Hyunwoo is so heavy it feels like a physical touch, makes his pulse pick up, " _look_ at you."

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes, standing up and padding across the room. "Did you get me in your room so you could hit on me while using 90's movies' puns?" There's a couple bottles of water on the mini-bar, Hyunwoo takes one and uncaps it, taking a gulp. _This is what we're here for_ , he thinks, _the water. We came down here to get water and sober up and stay hydrated._

Hoseok laughs, "Honestly? I got you here because I keep hoping you'll let me kiss you literally everywhere." His tone is careful, like he's testing the response he'll get, and Hyunwoo's skin prickles under his clothes, can feel heat simmering just under the surface. Hoseok smiles, stands up and carefully closes the distance between them. "It's okay if you don't wanna. I'm still asking you out to dinner tomorrow night. Seven-ish? Somewhere definitely less fancy than this, though, there's this Vietnamese food joint a couple blocks from my place, it's tiny, like, super tiny but it's really good—"

"I've never had Vietnamese food before," Hyunwoo cuts in.

"I think you'll like it," Hoseok assures, grinning.

Hoseok kisses with purpose, like he's not fucking around, which Hyunwoo appreciates because neither is he, not at this point. He pushes Hyunwoo against the bar with both hands on Hyunwoo's hips, their thighs pressing together, their hips, their chests; Hyunwoo can feel Hoseok half-hard against his hip, it makes him clutch at Hoseok's waist with shaky fingers, already half-way there himself.

He no longer tastes like beer, instead his breath is minty and cool (Hyunwoo distantly wonders how the hell did he manage to brush his teeth so quick while he was in the bathroom earlier because he's sure it only took him a minute to walk from the lifts and into the room), slightly sweet underneath it all when Hyunwoo licks into his mouth. His fingers are steady and sure as they slide up Hyunwoo's waist, still over his shirt, and start to push his jacket off.

He breaks off the kiss to pant, "I just want to say I fucking adore the way you look in this suit but if you don't take it off I'll jump off that window."

Hyunwoo (reluctantly) lets go of Hoseok to help remove his jacket. "I don't think those windows open enough for that," he points out.

"Shut up," Hoseok retorts, and once Hyunwoo's jacket is on the floor somewhere, he grins, leaning in for another kiss and to start unbuttoning Hyunwoo's shirt.

In a flurry of buttons and kisses, Hyunwoo finds himself shirtless and with Hoseok's mouth pressed to his neck. It's a lot to take in; Hoseok's rocking his hips and grinding their cocks together, sweet and tight and perfect, enough pressure to get him hard all the way in small bouts of pleasure, even through the layers of fabric between them. He clutches at Hoseok's waist again, angry when his fingers meet fabric and not skin.

"Take this off," he rasps.

Hoseok pulls away, taking a step back, his mouth red and used, as he reaches for the third button of his shirt. He's breathing hard as his fingers work on the buttons and Hyunwoo's own breathing is rattled where he stands, the bar counter digging painfully to his lower back. Hoseok never takes his eyes off him, even as he throws his shirt to the side, careless, unbothered, and his breath stutters in his chest when his eyes catch pink, hard nipples, one pierced.

Hoseok reaches for the zipper of his pants at the same time Hyunwoo reaches for his own. He bites his lip around a smile as he lowers the zipper and Hyunwoo feels his fingers shaking as he does the same, because Hoseok is not wearing fucking anything underneath and he can see the tip of his cock peeking past the open flaps of his pants. Hyunwoo's knees buckle a little but he covers it pretty well, kicking his own pants down and simultaneously trying to toe his shoes and socks off, all at the same time.

Turns out Hoseok's lips are as red as the tip of his dick. Huh. That's science at its prime, Hyunwoo thinks.

He closes the distance between them in a couple steps, still in his briefs, one of his pants' legs dragging behind him when he tries to shake it off. Hoseok reaches for him immediately, curls arms around Hyunwoo's neck and his mouth falls open with a soft, tiny sound that Hyunwoo swallows whole.

Hoseok pulls him towards the bed with his body, their mouths still attached, and Hyunwoo hooks both hands on Hoseok's hips, right over where the waist of his pants is riding low; he's warm to the touch, sturdy under Hyunwoo's palms, and he uses the momentum of them falling onto the bed to dip his fingers past the hem, the skin of Hoseok's ass smooth under his hands. Hoseok moans his approval, teeth closing around Hyunwoo's lower lip and tugging, his thighs closing around Hyunwoo's hips.

One hand on the bed somewhere near Hoseok's hair, and the other one still kneading at one ass cheek, Hyunwoo pulls away from Hoseok's mouth to drop kisses down his jaw, drags his lower lip along the jut of his chin, nips at the skin above his Adam's apple, and revels in the way Hoseok seems to fall apart under him, with the barest of touches, just this. He looks a mess, his hair a messy halo around his flushed face.

Something flares up in Hyunwoo's chest at the sight. He's too caught up in it to notice Hoseok wrapping arms around his middle, a thigh between Hyunwoo's, and next thing he knows, he's staring up at the ceiling, panting, breathless as Hoseok straddles him in a swift move. When Hyunwoo looks at him proper, Hoseok's flush has spread down his neck, his collarbones the prettiest shade of pink Hyunwoo's ever seen.

He drops hands on Hoseok's thighs, the fabric of his pants stretching tight under his palm. "I can't believe you're still wearing pants," he murmurs. "I sincerely hope your dick hasn’t caught on the zipper yet."

Hoseok laughs, breathless. "Well, you're taking forever to take them off, might as well do it myself," he retorts with a roll of eyes, and does just that, kneels and maneuvers around until he's naked, his cock curved towards his stomach as he straddles Hyunwoo again, taking himself in hand. There's another tattoo on his thigh, words spaced in black ink, and Hyunwoo's mouth waters, can't wait to put his lips there.

"Fuck," Hyunwoo exhales, his own dick twitching, the tip already peeking past the hem of his underwear.

"In a bit, babe," Hoseok says, smirking down at him and giving himself one long, tight pull, and then he's leaning over Hyunwoo, hands braced at either side of his head, his mouth on his. He licks Hyunwoo's mouth open, and Hyunwoo clutches at him again, anywhere he can reach, his thigh, his ass, his sides.

Hoseok pulls away and softly says, "Take these off," while tugging at the elastic band of Hyunwoo's boxers. He helps tug them off and when Hyunwoo's finally naked, he wraps fingers around Hyunwoo's cock and strokes, once, twice, Hyunwoo making a mewling sound right around Hoseok's tongue when he leans down for another wet kiss.

"What do you want," Hoseok asks in a whisper when he pulls away, their lips still touching, and he strokes Hyunwoo lazily. He buries his other hand in Hyunwoo's hair, tilts his head back a little so he can press lips to the side of his neck; it stings a bit, Hoseok's fingers in his hair, and Hyunwoo whines a little. "What do you want, Hyunwoo, tell me."

Hyunwoo pants, "Fuck me," and Hoseok's fingers tighten around his dick; he bites on a spot under Hyunwoo's ear and pulls back to look down at him, his eyes dark and wild, and he says, "God, okay," and then they're kissing again, hard and wet and dirty, and Hyunwoo's light-headed and distracted enough he barely registers Hoseok's fetched lube from _somewhere_.

"T'was under the pillow, don't look so shocked," Hoseok says with a tiny smile.

"Thought you might get lucky, huh," Hyunwoo murmurs as Hoseok wets his fingers.

Hoseok smiles sideways at him, lying on his side next to Hyunwoo, leaning on one of his elbows. He kisses under Hyunwoo's jaw, strokes his cock with a lubbed hand and makes Hyunwoo nearly choke around his own tongue. He's grinning when Hyunwoo recovers, he can feel it pressed to the side of his neck, and he swats at Hoseok, anywhere he can reach, curls fingers over the side of his hip.

"Spread your legs for me, Hyunwoo," Hoseok murmurs, and his hand, still wet, touches feather-light down his balls, strokes circles over his perineum, and Hyunwoo shivers, groaning and spreading his thighs apart. Hoseok makes an approving sound and it goes straight to Hyunwoo's cock, it twitches against his stomach and Hoseok hums, his mouth hovering close to Hyunwoo's navel now, closer to the tip, and then he's got lips wrapped around it, soft and wet and too fucking good.

His fingers are teasing at Hyunwoo's hole now, and he's good at it; Hyunwoo hates (and loves) how good he is, how well he touches Hyunwoo, how good it all feels, because he hasn't been touched like this in fucking forever and it all feels like _a lot_ , his body ready to burst at the seams. Hoseok lets go of his dick with a loud and obscene pop, licks his lips as he looks at Hyunwoo, eyes slightly unfocused but so bright. He leans up and in, presses his lips, softly, to Hyunwoo's, and they're warm, wet with spit and pre-come from Hyunwoo's dick, and _oh god_ —

Hoseok kisses him, tongue first, open-mouthed and dirty, as he pushes a finger into him. The slide is as wet as his tongue's is and Hyunwoo moans, holds Hoseok anywhere he can reach so he can pull him closer, deeper, whines against his mouth because he feels needy as fuck right now and Hoseok's so _sweet_ , his mouth is sweet and his fingers are thick and there's two of them in Hyunwoo's ass now and he can't bring himself to keep the noises in his chest.

Hoseok fucks him slow and steady, kisses him deeply and leaves him breathless and Hyunwoo's loathe to admit he might come just from this, from this very thing, and might not even get to enjoy the good part.

Then again, the thought of coming with Hoseok's fingers in him now, and maybe his dick later, is rather appealing.

"Fuck," Hyunwoo breathes, and he's sure there are tears at the corner of his eyes at this point, it feels so good. "Fuck, harder, you can—"

Hoseok kisses below his ear, nips at the lobe and fucks his fingers deeper, makes Hyunwoo squeeze his eyes shut. Hoseok pulls out, then, and Hyunwoo's body misses him _so_ , he makes a sound at the back of his throat and says, "Please, please," hoarsely until Hoseok's kissing him slow and sweet and saying, "Just gettin' more lube, s'okay, I got you, baby, s'all right," and then his fingers are back, teasing at first and then fucking him deep and with purpose, three of them this time, and Hyunwoo clutches at Hoseok's arm, at his hair, the sheets under him, anywhere and everywhere at the same time, his dick aching for release that won't come because Hoseok's pushing him to the edge of orgasm and holding him back every fucking time.

"Touch yourself, Hyunwoo," Hoseok says, and his voice is breathy, breath _less_ , and Hyunwoo feels pride curling around the edges of pleasure, sweet and slow like thick syrup, again when he wraps fingers around his dick and strokes in time with the push and pull of Hoseok's fingers. Hoseok makes a pleased sound again against his throat, where his mouth is busy biting and kissing. He breathes, "Get yourself off, baby, that's it, god, you're perfect, so fucking beautiful, Hyunwoo, come for me, let me see, darlin', come on," and Hyunwoo can't help it, not that he wants to.

He comes with a curse and Hoseok's name like a plea, digs his nails into Hoseok's forearm and tugs at his cock in time with Hoseok's thrusts, and Hoseok kisses his neck, his jaw, his slack lips, kisses behind his ear and murmurs, "That's it, baby, yeah, just like that, let go, let go, yes, Hyunwoo, that's perfect, you're perfect."

"Fuck me," Hyunwoo slurs, his mouth finding Hoseok's blindly, and he wiggles a little, pushes his ass back against Hoseok's thigh, his hip, until he feels the curve of his dick, wet already, against an ass cheek. He shivers, still stroking at his cock, and Hoseok pants into the kiss, his fingers slowing a little as he eventually pulls out.

"Hoseok," Hyunwoo starts, not sure what to say next, because he wants to say a lot, and he's not sure what'll win out in the end. He feels flushed and fucked but not _fucked enough_ ; he lets go of his dick, tries to reach for Hoseok's in a haste of lust and the sweet, sweet taste of him still lingering in his mouth.

"Let me—hold on," Hoseok sounds breathless and strained, and he moves away for a second, which throws Hyunwoo into painful awareness for a bit before he feels Hoseok against his side again, his mouth on his chest and travelling south in a wet slide. Hyunwoo looks down at him and his breath catches for the millionth time tonight, Hoseok's lips parted and Hyunwoo's come shining off the tip of his tongue as he licks at his stomach, the underside of his cock, the stray drop that's landed on the top of his thigh.

Hyunwoo's dick twitches and he clenches around nothing, fuck, he feels _empty_. It's like he melts into the sheets as Hoseok drags his tongue down the underside of his cock again, so close to his hole, pushing his thigh back and to the side.

"Please," he whispers, because he doesn't know what else to say, what else to ask, as his hands find Hoseok's hair. Hoseok stretches over him then, a thigh thrown between Hyunwoo's, his dick hot and hard against the just of his hipbone, his mouth hot on his neck and then on his lips, tasting like Hyunwoo's come; it sends shivers down Hyunwoo's body, the taste of himself, of Hoseok still lingering sweet underneath.

"Oh, Hyunwoo, darling, I just," Hoseok doesn't finish, his tongue comes out to swipe at his kiss-swollen lips and a hum escapes him, deep and satisfied, like he likes what he sees right now spread under him.

Hoseok has a hand around himself now, the other one cradling Hyunwoo's head, fingers buried in his hair. It's tender, too tender and too soft for what the occasion calls for, but Hyunwoo melts into it, into Hoseok, lets Hoseok kiss his mouth open and pant sotfly as he jerks himself off with a mix of lube and some of Hyunwoo's come.

"Come, come, come," Hyunwoo whispers into the space between their mouths, pulling his thigh higher up on the bed and sliding two fingers into his ass, the tip of Hoseok's cock grazing his knuckles. His other hand reaches out to tentatively put his fingertips to the pierced bud of Hoseok's nipple, his index and middle finger first, and then his thumb, not even pulling, just _there_.

Hoseok keens from the depths of his throat and the sound makes Hyunwoo fuck his fingers faster, deeper, harder, and fuck, his dick gives a pathetic little twitch. It makes heat spread from his groin and all the way up his chest, almost painful as it reaches his throat, and he could come again, he thinks, he _wants_ , and trembles anew under Hoseok's touch.

"Hoseok, yes, yes, please, yes" he chants brokenly, and a similar broken sound escapes Hoseok's mouth, that and Hyunwoo's name, and he comes, thick and warm and _loud_ over Hyunwoo's asshole, his balls, the back of his hand. He kisses Hyunwoo as he strokes himself off, breathless and open-mouthed, teeth catching on lips and tugging a tad too insistently.

He's beautiful as he comes, his face flushed, his eyes glazed, his mouth still shaping Hyunwoo's name like he doesn't know another word.

He kisses hyunwoo sweet and damp and smiling and it tugs at Hyunwoo's heartstrings like nothing ever before.

 

Later he learns the reason Hoseok didn't actually fuck him was because he didn't have a condom on him. "You'd be a terrible boy scout," he says with a lazy grin, and Hoseok swats at him half heartedly before sitting up against the headboard.

"We'll just have to take a raincheck on that one, then," Hoseok says, all too casually, and Hyunwoo laughs silently through his nose, leans in and pecks the naked curve of Hoseok's shoulder and says, "I guess we will."

 

Hyunwoo wakes up to pale light coming in through the windows and the parted curtains. He blinks slowly into awareness to find Hoseok sitting up against the headboard, phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other one.

"Morning, sleeping cutie," he says with a winning smile.

"Of course you're a morning person," Hyunwoo mutters against the pillow, rolling his eyes. Hoseok chuckles next to him and takes a sip of his coffee, presumably letting Hyunwoo wake up fully on his own.

Hyunwoo takes stock of himself slowly, he stretches his arms, still on his tummy, and his back pops loudly, his shoulders tingling a little. He sighs heavily— this is honestly the best sleep he's had in weeks. (Months, really, but that'd stroke Hoseok's ego, probably, and it's too early. For that kind of stroking, anyway.)

The bed is soft and comfy and rather warm. It smells mostly of Hoseok's cologne but it also smells like sex. It's a good combination, to be honest.

"Hey, I ordered us some breakfast, if you're hungry?" Hoseok says, and runs his fingers through Hyunwoo's hair, real soft and tender. "It's just eggs and bacon, though, I finished all the toast. I did save you some coffee."

"How considerate," Hyunwoo quips, props himself up on his elbows and Hoseok's hand falls to his shoulder instead.

"I'm the greatest at morning-afters," Hoseok shrugs a shoulder. "Granted, the last time I had a morning-after was probably like a year ago, but it's like riding a bike, am I right or am I right—"

"You're so full of it," Hyunwoo snorts. "You have terrible bedside manners, Hoseok, let me tell you."

"Well, then, you have terrible morning breath," Hoseok retorts.

They stare at each other for a bit— Hoseok's already showered, hair still slightly wet. He's not wearing a shirt but he is wearing sweats, and Hyunwoo wonders if he really only packed for the night like he said.

Speaking of which.

"Last night was," Hyunwoo starts, and this part _sucks_ , he's never been good at it. And the thing is Hyunwoo would very much rather not talk about it— what's there to talk about? They both know what they want. Hyunwoo swallows, a little dry, licks his lips. Hoseok's face falls a little and _fuck_ , now Hyunwoo feels like an utter dick because he's not sending the right signals, damn it. "It was..." and here's the other thing, though, Hyunwoo doesn't know how to put into words what last night was.

Hoseok looks down at his lap, where his cup is held. His hand falls from Hyunwoo's shoulder. "Have coffee, first. Then we can talk."

"Do we have to?" Hyunwoo winces after he says it, but Hoseok only chuckles. Fondly, at that. It settles the storm of nerves in Hyunwoo's rib cage.

"You're cute, you are," Hoseok says. He reaches over to the bedside table and then hands Hyunwoo his own cup of still-steaming coffee. Hyunwoo has to rearrange himself into a sitting position. He covers his lap with part of the sheets, and Hoseok snorts. "Nothing I haven't seen before, you know."

"Shut up," Hyunwoo mutters, and takes a sip of coffee. Hoseok has the gall to laugh silently through his nose, his eyes bright. It takes a little bit of the things weighing Hyunwoo down off his shoulders. "I wanted to say that, uh, last night was great. Really great. It was not how I expected things to go when I RSVP-ed. Definitely not what I expected when I sat down at the bar." He traces the rim of his cup, almost absently. "I've been stuck, for a while. Stuck in time, stuck in _myself_. Last night— I don't think I've had an honest conversation in months, you know." He looks up, feeling dumb for saying all this, but he owes it to himself to be honest, owes it to Hoseok a little, too. "I'm glad we ran into each other, Hoseok. I really am."

Hoseok's eyes crinkle at the corners when he grins, teeth and all. It's not a thing Hyunwoo notices just now, it's something his seventeen-year-old self remembers. This smile is different, though. It spreads from his lips to the corners of his eyes, bright like sunshine. There's pink across the bridge of his nose, and he looks soft and so real it hurts in Hyunwoo's gut.  

"That's a lot of really nice words," Hoseok says softly. He leans across the gap between them— Hyunwoo yelps when the coffee in Hoseok's mug sloshes dangerously to the rim— and presses his lips to the corner of Hyunwoo's mouth. They're warm, soft and still a little puffy from last night. Hoseok cradles the side of his face with his free hand, his thumb on the top of Hyunwoo's cheek. He pushes their foreheads together, their noses touching. "I'm real glad, too. I'm glad we didn't wake up alone this morning."

Hyunwoo's breath catches a little. The mug between his fingers is warm but the hand tucked to his neck is warmer still, sears itself through skin, muscle and bone. "Me, too," he says, and Hoseok's lips twitch against his.

**Author's Note:**

> **contents include: mentions of past hyungwon/shownu, a one-time showki thing that happened under the influence, the showho porn in this happens after they've been drinking for a while, i do consider it sex under the influence as well, but you know me, it's mostly the influence of love and lust :') 
> 
> porn includes finger fucking, a lil bit of come-eating and generally unprotected sex??? i mean, _you know me_. listen, kids, condoms are your friends, pls use them. also a tad of praise kink?? who knew i had it in me. 
> 
> if you need me to tag something specific let me know, please!!


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